Thanks ARUP
Did a search and found the Gallaudet D-1. A truly amazing aircraft for its time. And exactly the thing I was looking for!!
On the US patents office' website there is also a PDF document regarding the engine and propeller installation. If anybody is interested let me know I will gladly share it.
The counter rotating propeller is not a necessity, I merely considered it for its 'coolness' factor. It has however an added bonus that no torque effects will be present. Open throttle and it should track straight down the runway.
MinnFlyer, I totally agree with principle of form following function, the reasoning behind my design? I don't know ... I started doodling something on paper, then modelled it in Blender and eventually thought ... 'hey will this thing fly?' I went as far as modelling it in Plane X and it flew ... quite well actually. In this case I suppose the function will have to follow the form. What that function is? Who knows? Satisfying my curiosity ....
For interest sake Plane X is a full Flightsim package, even approved in some form by the FAA. It includes a nice modelling package 'PlaneMaker' that has quite advanced aerodynamics. Only downside, it is quite expensive to buy, the demo is free however ...
I will post some updates here shortly, hopefully with a working animated demo ...